Surgical staple cartridge



Nov. 7, 1967 R. F. MALLINA SURGICAL STAPLE CARTRIDGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Sept. 50, 1965 ATTORNEY Nov. 7, 1967 R. F. MALLINA 3,351,191

SURGICAL STAPLE CARTRIDGE Filed Sept. 30, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet? INVENTOR.m @aazpy f. flax/ v4 Z9 7 BY gt l ATTORNEY United States Patent3,351,191 SURGICAL STAPLE CARTRIDGE Rudolph F. Maiiina, Hastings onHudson, N.Y., assignor to Codman & Shurtletf, Inc., a corporation ofMassachusetts Filed Sept. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 491,534 4 Claims. (Cl.206-56) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLQSURE A staple cartridge adapted to be usedwith a surgical stapler is molded of plastic wi;h a rectangular openingat the forward end thereof having a single pair of opposite straightparallel grooves in the sidewalls defining said opening; each of saidgrooves being adapted to receive and frictionally engage a leg of asingie stape, thereby suspending the staple with the crown extendingacross the opening. The cartridge is characterized by two oppositelongitudinal grooves that extend substantially the entire length of thecartridge. A cartridge magazine is also provided with a plurality ofparallel prongs extending from a base section, the prongs beirg spacedapart a distance suflicient to engage the longitudinal grooves in saidcartridge and frictionally support the cartridge in the magazine.

This invention relates to miniature staplers of the type used formedical stapling of tissue, and more particularly to exchangeablecartridges for such staplers and to magazines that releasably hold 'aplurality of such cartridges.

.The instant invention has for its principal object the provision of amagazine which will accommodate a plurality of staple cartridges and isadapted to be packaged in a sterile condition.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a magazine that willretain a plurality of exchangeable staple cartridges in such a mannerthat each individual cartridge may be conveniently and rapidly loadedinto a medical stapler.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a method ofloading a medical stapler that is accurate, foolproof and reliable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a staple cartridge that isdisposable.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth inpart in the following specification and in part will be obvioustherefrom without being specifically referred to, the same beingrealized and attained as pointed out in the claims hereof.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be best understoodfrom the following description of exemplifications thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, wherein;

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of a stapler for dispensing single miniaturestaples individually;

FIGURE l-a is an enlarged fragmentary view of a staple driver;

FIGURE 1-]; is an enlarged fragmentary view of a cartridge holder;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of FIGURE 1 showing the stapler in a closedposition;

FIGURE 3 is an end view thereof;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a stapler with a staplecartridge in the cartridge holder;

FIGURE 5 is a large scale fragmentary sectional view on the line 5-5 ofFIGURE 7;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a staple cartridge;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the staple cartridge ofFIGURE 6, as seen from a diiferent angle;

3,35Llhl FIGURE 8 is a plan view, partly in section, of a cartridgemagazine;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary end view taken on the line 99 of FIGURE 8 withthe cartridge holder shown in position;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary large scale end view on the line Iii-Ail ofFIGURE 8; and,

FIGURE 11 is a large scale fragmentary sectional View of the magazineand cartridge taken on the line 1113 of FIGURE 8, and illustrates theposition of the stapler at the time of loading.

In carrying the invention into effect in the embodiments which have beenselected for illustration in the accompanying drawings and fordescription in this specification, and referring now particularly toFIGURES 1-4, there is provided a stapler generally indicated at 20 thatcomprises a pair of forceps generally designated 22. The for ceps 22include upper and lower arm portions, such as a driver arm portion 24and an anvil arm portion 26. Those arm portions 24 and 26 terminate in adriver 27 and an anvil 29, movable towards and from each other fordriving a staple 28 that is held in a cartridge 30 towards the anvil 29.Both arms are provided on the exterior with knurling 34 for easiermanual grasping.

A cartridge holder 36 is secured to the forceps 22, for instance boltedor otherwise rigidly secured to the forceps 22 between the arm portions24 and 26 thereof.

Each of the arm portions 24 and 26 is resilient and forms a leaf spring,and the cartridge holder 36 is elongated and resilient and forms a leafspring therebetween. The resilience of the arms 24 and 26 will normallyresult in the open position illustrated by the dotted line in FIGURE 2.

A limit stop, such as a screw 38, is provided to limit the upwardmovement of the upper arm portion 24 relative to the cartridge holder36. The screw 38 is surrounded by an opening 40 that is formed in thecartridge holder 36 and which is larger than the shank 42 of the screw38, but smaller than the head 44 of the screw 38. By this means, thedriver arm portion 24 is pre-tensioned.

As usual in connection with staplers, the lower or anvil arm 26 is moreeasily deflected than the driver arm 24; so that, when the two arms 24and 26 are pressed towards each other, the anvil 2.9 will first beplaced in a position close to the staple 28 where the tissue is engagedbetween the cartridge 36 and the anvil 29, and only thereafter will thedriver 29 make contact with the staple 28 and subsequently drive thestaple through the tissue.

The anvil 2? includes two clinching grooves 48, and the holder 36 hastwo converging prongs 5t) and 52 dimensioned to frictionally engagelongitudinal grooves 54 and 56 in the staple cartridge 3%. Near thefront end, the cartridge 30 has a recess or opening 58 that is definedbetween two projections 60. Each of the projections 69 has an innersurface 62, that confines the opening 58, and in which there is formed astraight groove 64. The two grooves 64 are opposite, and parallel toeach other, and have a length that exceeds the length of the leg 66 ofthe staple 28. The legs 66 will be held frictionally in the two grooves64, so that the staple 23 will be held suspended frictionally, with thelegs 66 in the grooves 64 and the free ends of the legs 66 pointingtowards the anvil 29. The legs 66 of the staple 28 are connected by acrown 68 that is disposed across the opening 58. Thus, the staple 28 isheld suspended by friction in the cartridge 30, ready to be closed bythe driver 27.

When a new staple is needed, the nurse will insert a new sterilizedstaple-holding cartridge 30 into the holder 36.

As best shown in FIGURES 2, 4, and 5, a shoulder or stop 6? located atthe forward end of the cartridge 30 abuts against a forward end 70 ofthe holder 36, to

limit the movement of the cartridge 3% and to determine the position ofthe cartridge 30 when emplaced in the holder 36. The converging prongs5th and 52 owing to their frictional engagement with the cartridge 30will retain the cartridge 39 in that position until it is removedmanually by the nurse. For this purpose, the cartridge is provided withserrated projections 71 and 72, which extend beyond the cartridge holder36 and may be readily grasped by the nurse.

As best shown in FIGURE 1a, the driver 29 may form an integral part ofthe driver arm portion 24, and be movable therewith. The driver 27terminates in a surface 73 (FIGURE 3) that has a width slightly smallerthan the width of the opening 58 and which is capable of engaging thecrown 68 of the staple 28 to move it towards the anvil 29. After thestapling, the resilient spring action of the arms 24 and 26 will returnthe forceps to the position indicated in dotted lines (FIGURE 2).

The staple 28 may be made of wire of an inert material, such astantaliurn or stainless steel, but may also be made of any othersuitable material, for instance plastic or the like, which lends itselfto stapling and to being sterilized.

Regarding the staple sizes that may be used where miniaturization isimportant, the following are examples of desirable sizes:

Millimeters Diameter of wire 0.15 Length of crown 68 (width of staple) 2Length of leg 66 (height of staple) 2 to 2.5

The cartridge 39 is preferably disposable for instance made ofinexpensive thermoplastic material such as the material known under thetrademark Delrin, so that the re-loading of the cartridge becomesunnecessary.

Preferably the cartridge is formed with two projections 74 at theforward end thereof terminating in points 76 that are in alignment withthe crown 68 of the staple. These points indicate the position of thestaple with respect to the end of the stapling instrument and enable thesurgeon to place a number of staples in perfect alignment.

The loading of the stapler with a cartridge is facilitated by acartridge magazine, the construction and operation of which will beapparent from consideration of FIG- URES 810. The cartridge magazinelike the cartridge itself may be formed of thermoplastic material, andis generally rectangular in shape. The length of the magazine will bedetermined by the number of cartridges it is designed to accommodate.The magazine illustrated in FIGURE 8 will accommodate six staplecartridges but it is apparent that longer magazines might be constructedto accommodate any number of cartridges. The width of the magazine isapproximately three times the length of a staple cartridge but it willbe obvious that the magazine may be made wider if desired.

The thickness of the magazine may be approximately three times thethickness of the staple cartridge, as illustrated in FIGURE 9.

The magazine consists of a base section 78 from which a plurality ofmagazine prongs 80 extend. External walls 82 of the magazine prongs 80are parallel to each other and extend perpendicular from the basesection 78 to define therebetween a recess 84. The end of each magazineprong 80 forms a surface 86 that is parallel to one surface 88 of thebase section. Internal walls 90 of the magazine prongs 8d are parallelto each other and extend perpendicular from the base section to definetherebetween a recess 91. Grooves 92 in the internal walls 0 receive andreleasably retain the cartridge 30. The cartridge 30 is retained in themagazine by friction, and the force required to withdraw the cartridgefrom the magazine is dependent upon the distance d between the walls ofthe grooves 92, the coefiicient of friction of the material of which themagazine is made and the dimensions of the recesses 84 and 90 whichcontrol the resiliency of the magazine prongs 80. Careful control ofthese factors result in a magazine that will retain the cartridge withjust sufficient frictionalforce to prevent accidental dislodgment of thecartridge from the magazine prior to use.

When the cartridges are positioned in the magazine, there is nopossibility of accidental dislodgment of the staples 28 from thecartridge 3%) and the magazine forms a convenient package that may besealed in a paper or foil overwrap and sterilized by gamma radiation.

The operation of the cartridge magazine will be understood withreference to FIGS. 9 and 11. The nurse, after removing the wrapping fromthe cartridge magazine and exposing the sterile cartridges therein loadsthe medical stapler by aligning the cartridge holder 36 with thelongitudinal grooves 54 and 56 in the cartridge 30, taking care that thedriver 27 is positioned over the crown 68 of the staple 28 and the anvil32 is positioned beneath the legs 66 of the staple 28. The stapler isthen pushed in the direction of the base 78 of the magazine until theends 70 of the cartridge holder contact the stops 69. The position ofthe prongs 50 and 52 of the cartridge holder 36 with respect to thelongitudinal grooves 54 and 56 is shown in FIG. 9. The stapler is thenwithdrawn from the magazine in the direction of the arrow (FIG. 11). Thecartridge 30 is retained on the cartridge holder '36 and withdrawn withthe stapler from the magazine because the frictional force between theprongs 50 and 52 of the cartridge holder 36 and the longitudinal grooves54 and 56 of the cartridge 30 is much greater than the frictional forcebetween the magazine prongs and the cartridge 30.

When the medical stapler is actuated by the surgeon, the arms 24 and 26will move towards each other and the staple is driven through tissue andclinched on the anvil. After the staple is applied, the arms 24 and 26return by spring action to the position shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2.The assisting nurse then withdraws the empty cartridge from thecartridge holder by grasping the projections 71 and 72 and the stapleris loaded with another sterile cartridge from the magazine as describedabove.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the novelprinciples of the invention disclosed herein in connection with specificexemplifications thereof will suggest various other modifications andapplications of the same.

It is accordingly understood that I do not desire to be limited to theexact details of construction shown and described.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tobe secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

What is claimed is:

1. A cartridge containing a single miniature staple having two legs anda crown connecting the legs and adapted to be mounted on a holderbetween two arms of a medical stapler; said cartridge defining arectangular opening at the forward end thereof having a single pair ofopposite straight parallel grooves in the sidewalls defining saidopening, each of said grooves being adapted to receive a leg of a staplepointing with its free end in a direction perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the cartridge, the grooves being spaced apart fromeach other for a distance comparable with the width of the staplethereby engaging frictionally the legs of the staple and suspending thestaple with the crown extending across said opening; and said cartridgebeing characterized by two opposite longitudinal grooves that extendsubstantially the entire length of the cartridge on opposite sidesthereof bisecting the cartridge in a plane perpendicular to the legs ofthe staple.

2. A cartridge according to claim 1 characterized by projections at theforward end thereof that terminate in points on opposite sides of saidcartridge, said points being in alignment with the crown of the staple.

3. A cartridge according to claim 2. wherein the two longitudinalgrooves terminate a short distance from the forward end of thecartridge.

4. The combination of a cartridge magazine and a plurality of staplecartridges, wherein said cartridge magazine has a base section fromwhich a plurality of prongs extend an equal distance parallel to eachother and perpendicular to said base section; the ends of said prongsforming a face parallel to said base section; each of said prongs havinginternal side walls that defines with the 10 internal side wall of theprong adjacent thereto an elongated aperture extending perpendicularfrom the face of the magazine in the direction of the base section; anda 5 tained therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,275,211 9/1966 Hirsch et al.128-334 THERON E. CONDON, Primmy Examiner. -MARTHA L. RICE, Examiner.

1. A CARTRIDGE CONTAINING A SINGLE MINIATURE STAPLE HAVING TWO LEGS ANDA CROWN CONNECTING THE LEGS AND ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A HOLDERBETWEEN TWO ARMS OF A MEDICAL STAPLER; SAID CARTRIDGE DEFINING ARECTANGULAR OPENING AT THE FORWARD END THEREOF HAVING A SINGLE PAIR OFOPPOSITE STRAIGHT PARALLEL GROOVES IN THE SIDEWALLS DEFINING SAIDOPENING, EACH OF SAID GROOVES BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A LEG OF A STAPLEPOINTING WITH ITS FREE END IN A DIRECTION PREPENDICULAR TO THELONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CARTRIDGE, THE GROOVES BEING SPACED APART FROMEACH OTHER FOR A DISTANCE COMPARABLE WITH THE WIDETH OF THE STAPLETHEREBY ENGAGING FRICTIONALLY THE LEGS OF THE STAPLE AND SUSPENDING THESTAPLE WITH THE CROWN EXTENDING ACROSS SAID OPENING; AND SAID CARTRIDGEBEING CHARACTERIZED BY TWO OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL GROOVES THAT EXTENDSUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE CARTRIDGE ON OPPOSITE SIDESTHEREOF BISECTING THE CARTRIDGE IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR TO THE LEGS OFTHE STAPLE.